1. Unit 1 Vocabulary Level A

2. besiege
(v) To attack by surrounding with military forces; to cause worry or trouble

3. The large cat besieged the small town.

4. compress
(v) To press together; to reduce in size or volume; (n) a folded cloth or pad applied to an injury

5. The woman has placed a cold compress on her forehead in hopes of diminishing her headache.

6. (v) To condemn openly; to accuse formally
denounce
(v) To condemn openly; to accuse formally

7. This group is publicly denouncing President Bush’s energy plan because they disagree with it.

8. dispatch
(v) To send off our out for a purpose; kill; (n) an official message; promptness, speed; the act of killing

9. The police use radios to dispatch important messages to one another.

10. (v) To plunge into a liquid, drench; to put out quickly, extinguish
douse
(v) To plunge into a liquid, drench; to put out quickly, extinguish

11. Luckily, the firefighters were able to successfully douse the flames.

12. (adv) plainly, in so many words; for a particular purpose
expressly
(adv) plainly, in so many words; for a particular purpose

13. We use this bowl in my home expressly for our Halloween candy.

14. (adj) suffering severely from hunger or from lack of something
famished
(adj) suffering severely from hunger or from lack of something

15. The child had not had a meal in quite some time, and was famished.

16. (v) To give up, renounce; to leave, abandon
forsake
(v) To give up, renounce; to leave, abandon

17. Benedict Arnold made a bad choice to forsake his country during the Revolutionary War.

18. (adj) profitable; bringing in money or some special advantage
gainful
(adj) profitable; bringing in money or some special advantage

19. The child’s first business experience was quite gainful.

20. (adj) very large or great; beyond ordinary means of measurement
immense
(adj) very large or great; beyond ordinary means of measurement

21. The man was so immense that he had to bend over to fit in the room.

22. (adj) totally without skill or appropriateness
inept
(adj) totally without skill or appropriateness

23. If you are an inept singer, you will not be successful on American Idol.

24. ingenious
(adj) showing remarkable originality, inventiveness, or resourcefulness; clever

25. The coyote always seems to come up with ingenious plans to catch the roadrunner, but they never work!

26. (adj) done in an instant, immediate
instantaneous
(adj) done in an instant, immediate

27. This meal could be cooked almost instantaneously in the microwave.

28. (v) To annoy, trouble, make weary
irk
(v) To annoy, trouble, make weary

29. If you irk someone, they will not respond positively!

30. libel
(n) A written statement that unfairly or falsely harms the reputation of the person about whom it is made; (v) to write or publish such a statement

31. Because the magazine printed a rumor that was not true, Julia Roberts sued them for libel.

32. (n) A feeling of fear, doubt, or uncertainty
misgiving
(n) A feeling of fear, doubt, or uncertainty

33. The woman had deep misgivings about her relationship with the man.

34. (n) A stupid person; a big, clumsy, slow individual
oaf
(n) A stupid person; a big, clumsy, slow individual

35. Baby Huey from the Looney Tunes cartoons is an incredibly bumbling oaf!

36. (v) To go or move backward; to become more distant
recede
(v) To go or move backward; to become more distant

37. The man’s hairline was beginning to recede.

38. repast
(n) A meal, food

39. We enjoyed a delicious traditional repast at Thanksgiving.